#cloud rats

Somewhere on a single island an “ancient cloud rat” says hello!

The Dinagat hairy-tailed rat or 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 is one of 18 “cloud rats” found only in the Philippines, and this species can only be found on Dinagat Island.

We like to call it the “ancient temple” of Dinagat, because in its “temple” or head might be an ancient arrangement of blood vessels unique to mouse species that were around a long time ago. Scientists like G Musser et al in 1998 called it a "primative cephalic arterial pattern”.

This tells us that unlike many living mouse species, the Dinagat hairy-tailed rat could be a “living fossil”- and can give us a window to the ancient past of many mice and rats today.

Unfortunately mining occurs on Dinagat Island, threatening other island endemics including another cloud rat: the Dinagat Bushy-tailed cloud rat (𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴).

Milada Řeháková-Petrů et al wrote in 2015 that the balance between “socio-economic development and longer-term biodiversity conservation” needs to be improved, and that “mineral resources of Dinagat are available elsewhere, but its biodiversity is unique!”

The script shown here is Badlit or Suwat Binisaya.

Free coloring pages in the Gumroad shop! phwildlifeart.gumroad.com

Philippine eaglets or chicks love coloring, especially if it’s their favorite food. Tatiana Abaño-Sarigumba and her team found a nest in Luzon where cloud rats and reptiles were “important food items!”

To protect Philippine eagles, we need to sustain their food sources too, which are also made up of unique and endemic species! All of them depend on the natural resources we need: forest watersheds.

Read more:

Tatiana Abaño-Sarigumba et al 2016. First nesting record of Philippine Eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi from Luzon, Philippines, with notes on diet and breeding biology.

High up in the forests of the Cordillera, a small mammal hugs a mossy branch: the Black-tailed dwarf cloud rat!

Mice and rats tend to be seen as dirty pests, but did you know that our country has a cute native mouse that lives only in certain forests? If you love trees, you’ll also love the tree-mouse… the Mt. Banahaw Tree-mouse!

Unlike Mickey Mouse, the Mt. Banahaw Tree-mouse is much, much older, and exists in real life. It has orange-brown fur, and super long whiskers that help it feel around trees and vines at night.

It is one of 5 species found ONLY on Mt. Banahaw and nowhere else in the world. This is more local endemics on one mountain then there are in many countries!

Climb a tree with a Brown-tailed dwarf cloud rat! It can be found in the Central Cordillera, where it is likely active at night or nocturnal, and lives most of its life in the trees (Heaney, Balete, et al. 2016).

It also has an extinct larger cousin, whose remains were found in the infamous Callao Cave complex (J Ochoa et al., 2021), where fossils of ancient humans were previously found.

Say hello to a little Mt. Amuyao Tree-mouse, 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴! (But quietly, it's sleeping)

It is named after Mt. Amuyao where it was found, near the heart of the Cordillera mountain range. It is one of four species of tree-mouse that are considered the smallest of all cloud rats. This includes the Mt. Banahaw tree-mouse, Mt. Pulag Tree-mouse and the Sierra Madre Tree-mouse (Heaney, Balete, et al. 2014).

Mt. Amuyao is not only home to unique mice, it is also home to over 250 plant species which include trees, herbs, ferns, vines, and bamboo (PVG Salcedo, 2001). The mountain is also an important place in Indigenous history. Local Ifugao communities tell a story of a great flood where one of the only two survivors was able to stay alive on Mt. Amuyao (D Eugenio 2007).

It is hoped that cloud rats will also survive there despite their unique and threatened habitat: the “sky island” or isolated mossy mountain tops where cloud rats and other species have lived for possibly millions of years. Sky islands are “cool hotspots” for biodiversity!

"Dagang Ulap” or Cloud Rat in Baybayin.

Unlike the rats we traditionally know, these are fluffy mammals that feed on plant life and other small snacks provided by mossy forests of Philippine mountain tops. They can only be found in these areas and nowhere else in the world. Scientists call these areas “Sky Islands.”

So far 4 species have been covered on my art page, learn more about them there!

philippinewildlifeart.wordpress.com/

Art & infographic prints also available, please do support this work!